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Oregon State, UC-Davis receive full accreditation

The Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recently received full accreditation by the AVMA Council on Education.

A college may be granted full accreditation for up to seven years if it is in compliance with all 11 accreditation standards or is in compliance with all but one or two standards and the council feels that the students are minimally affected.

At present, 38 colleges are accredited by the COE. Of the 28 U.S. colleges, 26 are on full accreditation, one is on limited accreditation, and one is on provisional accreditation. Three Canadian colleges are on full accreditation and one is on limited accreditation, and six foreign colleges are on full accreditation.

Oregon State's accreditation was downgraded from full to limited in April 2004 after the COE found the college to be in noncompliance with the admission standard. The Corvallis, Ore.-based college has since implemented a standardized interview process with the help of expert training.

"We're very pleased with the restoration of full accreditation," said Dr. Howard Gelberg, dean of Oregon State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

UC-Davis was downgraded from full to limited accreditation in 1998 after the COE cited it for inadequate teaching, research, and clinical care facilities.

"We are thrilled that our school now meets or exceeds all 11 AVMA accreditation standards," said Dr. Bennie Osburn, dean of UC-Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine.

The school has opened two facilities in the past three years. The Veterinary Medicine Instructional Laboratory facility, launched in 2002, features instructional surgery suites, large and small animal holding facilities, a canine blood donor facility, and a lecture hall.

Next, the Center for Companion Animal Health opened in 2004. The facility accommodates genetics and physical rehabilitation units and an oncology pharmacy. Other features include administrative offices, state-of-the-art laboratories, and an outpatient pharmacy.

During the next few years, UC-Davis will also open the Veterinary Medicine Instructional Facility, the Equine Athletic Performance Laboratory, and the Veterinary Medicine 3A building, which is part of a multi-building construction plan.